


Moments in the Moonlight

by mirimagix



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drinking Games, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 15:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17449340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirimagix/pseuds/mirimagix
Summary: Harry and his classmates return to Hogwarts to make up for their messed up Seventh Year. It doesn't take long for them to form interhouse friendships and a lot of alcohol plus a muggle game will do the rest.





	Moments in the Moonlight

The welcoming feast was – awkward to say the least. Harry almost regretted letting Hermione talk him into coming back to make up for his seventh year. The returning Eighth Years had their own table off to the side of the Great Hall in an alcove, which was great, but while Seamus managed to entertain the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs with a story about how he almost set fire to his bed over summer, the gap between them and the returned Slytherins couldn't be ignored. Uncomfortably shifting in his seat, Harry looked over the other students. Apart from Lavender, all Gryffindors from his year had returned. He tried not to think too much about how usually next to Parvati's black hair there would be a head of blonde locks. It only brought back other memories of cinnamon brown hair and bubblegum pink spikes, or a ginger head, all of which he just couldn’t handle right now. Only five Slytherins had returned, most of them because it had been part of their probation. Only Daphne Greengrass had chosen to come back on her own though it was probably because of her boyfriend Theodore Nott. He, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini hadn't had any say in the matter. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had even less students coming back. Most of them had been able to stay under the Carrows' radar because they could keep their head down, and the returning six - Padma, Anthony and Michael from Ravenclaw, Hannah, Susan and Justin from Hufflepuff - had all been part of the DA.  
Ron nudged him in the side interrupting his thoughts.  
“Come on, mate, we're leaving.” Harry was about to get up with his housemates when McGonagall came over and motioned for them to stay seated.  
“Good evening, students. I am glad to see that so many of you have returned to finish their education and leave the past behind. As you may have been able to tell from the fact that you have your own table for meals, the other teachers and I have decided to adapt some of the customs and rules. Since you all are of age, you will not only have certain privileges but you will also be asked to behave appropriate to your age. We have established a new common area for you. If you may follow me, I will show you to your dormitories.” Glancing around and taking in the reactions of the other students – which ranged from confusion to irritation to outright boredom, Harry got up and followed the headmistress. Ron had disappeared into the mass of the Hogwarts students to say Goodnight to his girlfriend Luna, and Hermione had linked her arm with Harry's and put her head on his shoulder. Behind him he could hear the other Eighth Years whispering about the new sleeping arrangements but he couldn't care less right now.  
“At least there won't be as many people staring at us.” Harry understood what she meant right away.  
“Yeah, but do you think, Ron'll get over the fact that he'll have to share a dorm with Slytherins?” Hermione's quiet laugh made him smile and for a moment he could forget about everything that had happened.

Later that night, the Golden Trio sat around a fireplace in their new common room. Hermione had her head in Harry's and her feet in Ron's lap. Nobody said anything. After a few moments of very uncomfortable silence earlier when they'd just arrived in the Common Room, Pansy had stepped up and apologized for everything she'd done during the war and their first school years. The other Slytherins had followed suit, and reluctantly the rest of them had accepted the apology. Harry supposed it had prevented the atmosphere from turning openly hostile but they were still a far cry from being anything but classmates. Too much had happened between all of them, far more than what could've been called house rivalry.  
“But what if their apology was just a scheme so we would feel safe? I'm sleeping in one room with Zabini … he'll kill me without a second thought.”  
“Ronald.” Hermione and Harry both sighed not sure if they should be laughing at their friend.  
“You know, I actually feel sorry for Nott. I don't know what McGonagall thought putting him with Dean and Seamus in one room. He certainly doesn't have to worry about getting attacked.” Harry grinned as Hermione's face lit up in understanding.  
“I think he might actually prefer to be attacked. I don't know how we survived living with them in one dorm, Harry.” Ron snickered.  
“And they weren't even dating back then.” Silence ensued again and they were content with listening to the other students talking to each other in hushed voices. It was nothing compared to the Gryffindor common room, Harry thought. There had always been arguments or even small fights. Every now and then, Seamus had managed to explode something, and laughter had been a big part of what had made the common room feel so homey to him. Especially the night after the welcoming feast had always been loud with everyone sharing the stories of their summers. If he was being honest with himself, he missed all of that more than he let on. The Gryffindor common room had been his first home, and it had always been a place where he felt safe. He couldn't imagine this new common room with its dark brown furniture and purple and white accents to ever feel as homey. And honestly, who'd thought, purple would be a good color for a common room? All house colors be damned, there had to have been another color they could've used.

They all settled into routine easily enough. They were wary of each other, but that wasn't really a surprise. What was a surprise was that Ron made a move towards more than just civility with the Slytherins before the first month had passed.  
“Oi, Zabini, care for a game of chess? Harry refuses to play 'cause he always loses.” Harry stuck his tongue out a that and Zabini grinned.  
“Is that because you're so good or Potter is so awful?” The whole common room broke into laughter and Harry decided to not comment on that. Whatever retort he could come up with, it couldn't help his reputation as the worst chess player to have attended Hogwarts anyway. Zabini settled into the chair opposite Ron. Soon they were both hunched over Ron's board, brows furrowed in concentration.  
“Who would've thought Ron would be the first to reach out.” Hermione leaned over the back of the sofa Harry was sitting on and murmured into his ear.  
“Yeah well, I don't think anyone here realizes the weight of what just happened. Not even sure if Ron realizes.”  
“I think he knows.”  
After that particular incident it didn't take long until Hermione and Pansy were pretty much inseparable. They always sat together in class, comparing notes and sharing books. Harry and Ron were pretty freaked out by Hermione's girly behavior. They'd never seen her hanging out with girls, much less giggling with them in the corridors. It had always been her, Harry and Ron. Ron seemed to get over the new Hermione fairly quickly though. He spent more and more time with Blaise, either playing chess or discussing strategy. Since the Eighth Years weren't allowed to be part of their House Quidditch Team, they had formed their own team and planned on challenging the other teams to unofficial games. Ron and Blaise had taken it upon them to lead practices and come up with strategies. Harry was glad to be able to play Quidditch without having to worry about being Team Captain. It had been more stressful than anything else in his sixth year.

While all around him friendships started to form, Harry was content with keeping to himself. It wasn't that he didn't like his classmates, he just preferred to deal with his problems alone. Not even Ron and Hermione knew that he still woke up from nightmares every night and he intended to keep it that way. After he'd woken Neville, Anthony and Draco on their first night back, he'd started to cast a _Muffliato_ over his bed every night, and he never went to bed before everyone else was asleep. Usually he worked on his homework till late at night and so for once wasn't behind in any of his classes. He found that it was much easier to stay on top of his work load and actually enjoy his classes when he didn't have to deal with the murderous attempts of a power hungry lunatic. Harry knew that it wasn't the best solution to stay up half the night to avoid nightmares, but he also didn't know what else to do about them. His dreams rarely changed. He usually saw himself in the Great Hall, walking past the bodies of all the people who died during the war. There were many he didn't know, blank nameless faces, but his parents, Remus, Tonks and Fred made an appearance every night, and so did Cedric and Dobby. Every single dream ended with little Teddy staring up at him, tears in his brown eyes and lips quivering, while Voldemort's high-pitched laughter echoed through the hall. He always woke up sweating and shaking and with this heavy feeling in his chest, a mix of dread and guilt. It took away his ability to breathe, and Harry always needed a few minutes to get used to it again. The feeling never left him completely, but he had gotten used to breathing through it. Sometimes, when he lay awake in his bed in those early hours of the morning, he tried going back to sleep by listening to the sounds the other three boys made in their sleep. He knew Neville's quiet snores and the mumbled words by heart, but it had taken a bit of time to get used to Anthony's rustling sheets when he turned every few minutes and Draco's quiet steady breath. If he was being honest with himself, he listened to Draco the most. After just a few weeks of sharing a dorm with him, Harry had come to appreciate the Slytherin's calm sleep. After his nightmares, it was soothing to listen to those steady breaths, and he even managed to fall asleep again once. Overall Harry had to admit that sharing a dorm with Anthony and Draco wasn't as bad as he'd first expected. They were both very tidy which balanced out Harry's and Neville's chaos. Really the only drawback of the new sleeping arrangements was sharing a bathroom and a shower. It didn't take Harry long to figure out that his obsession over Draco Malfoy in their sixth year hadn't been purely suspicion about his Death Eater activities. Once he found out that Draco had a habit of walking around in nothing but his boxers until he didn't have a choice but to put on some clothes because they were going to breakfast, Harry had taken to leaving the dorm before anyone got up or staying in bed until the last minute and then taking a quick and very cold shower.

A week before Halloween Hermione, Pansy and Parvati gathered all Eighth Years in their common room.  
“Alright, listen up, guys. Pansy, Parvati and I decided to have our own little party after the Halloween feast next week. We all had enough time to get used to school again and since there isn’t a murdering lunatic out to take over the world, we thought we deserve a bit of a break.” Excited chatter broke out.  
“Hear hear, I never thought, I’d hear Hermione say that.” Seamus could hardly believe it. Pansy clapped her hands and took over from the brunette witch.  
“Shut up and listen. This will only be us Eighth Years, no younger students. Yes, Luna and Ginny can come. Merlin knows they spend more time here than in their own common rooms.” She sighed but her smile proofed her annoyed tone wrong. “Also we need someone to talk to the house elves if they can prepare some snacks for us, Harry, you'll do that, they like you. Anthony, Neville, you're the most unsuspicious, you'll go to Hogsmeade and get us something to drink.” Everybody cheered at that and Blaise could be heard demanding Firewhiskey.  
“Please don't stick with only Firewhiskey, guys. Some people here happen to not like that stuff.” Parvati pulled a face.  
“Alright, any questions?” Hermione ignored the few questions thrown into the room and continued: “There will be a dress code for the feast and the party that we will announce on the 31st.” Harry decided he should be worried when he saw the smirk his best friend threw Pansy and Parvati.

He was right to worry about what the girls cooked up. On Halloween morning Harry and Neville stopped dead in their track when they came downstairs into the common room.  
“What in Merlin's name is that?” Neville's whisper sounded a bit frantic. Harry couldn't do more than shake his head helplessly.  
“It looks like they went out of their way to find the most hideous Halloween rompers possible.”  
“I'm not wearing that.” Draco’s tone was determined behind them. “Pansy, darling, don't do that to me. What about my reputation? I can't be the big evil Death Eater while wearing THAT?” With every word his tone had gotten whinier. Harry stifled a laugh.  
“O hush, Draco, as if anyone believes your little Death Eater scheme. You're laughing at meals, and you hang out with Neville, no offense.” Neville held up his hands.  
“None taken.” They all startled at Ron's shriek. He walked towards the rompers as if they were about to attack him.  
“Hermione, what the bloody hell is that? Do we have to wear that to the feast? We'll never live that down. We'll be the laughing stock of the whole school.” Hermione scoffed.  
“Don't be so dramatic, Ron. And you too, Draco. You'll live. It's just rompers. Now off you go, we have class in an hour and you do wanna get breakfast, don't you?”  
“I think I lost my appetite at the sight of that.” Harry's voice was barely above a murmur, because he was seriously afraid of what Hermione would do if she heard him. Draco, who was standing the closest, tried with all his might to keep a straight face.

Over the course of the day, a multitude of the Eighth Years tried to vanish the rompers which didn’t work because, mind you, Hermione was the smartest witch of their year after all. Ginny got into a shouting match with Ron over who would have to wear the purple one with little pumpkins on it. By the time the feast rolled around, most of the students were whining and Hermione and Pansy had to use their combined authority to get all of them into their assigned rompers. Harry had to admit, it was a sight to behold. Ron ended up with the purple one, and it clashed absolutely horrible with his hair. Harry’s own romper wasn't as bad. It was green with little black steaming cauldrons, and it was amazingly soft. Hermione shooed them all together around the sofas and charmed a camera to take a picture of them before she allowed them to go down to the feast. After a moment of tentative silence, booming applause erupted when they entered the Great Hall. Blaise and Draco bowed exaggeratedly while Pansy and – surprisingly – Hannah twirled, and then they could sit down. Harry completely ignored Hermione’s disapproving glance as he helped himself to a big piece of treacle tart. All around him casual conversations arose.  
“So, Draco, darling, how bad was it?” Draco scowled at his best friend before turning back to Neville, Hannah and Susan who discussed the properties of wormwood in different potions. The girls laughed, and then Pansy turned to Harry.  
“Did you talk to the House elves?” He swallowed his bite of treacle tart before responding.  
“Yeah, they said, they’d bring us some stuff upstairs later.” Daphne leaned over Theo.  
“Do you think, they’ll bring cauldron cakes? I love them after I’ve had a bit to drink.” Theo snorted.  
“That’s an understatement, love.”  
“Why don’t you just take some with you?” Padma was being practical about it. Harry thought that they kept discussing if they should bring snacks from the feast but he couldn’t be sure. Right across the table from him, Draco indulged himself in his petit gâteau, and the molten chocolate was running down his chin. As Harry watched, Draco used his finger to catch the drop of chocolate and then … bloody hell … he licked the chocolate of his finger in the most sexual way possible. The long pale finger disappeared into the blond’s mouth, and Harry could see his tongue moving around it to get every bit of chocolate. Draco’s cheeks hollowed out as he sucked on his finger. Harry felt the sudden urge to suck the chocolate off Draco’s finger himself. His mind and eyes still focused on the Slytherin across the table, Harry reached out to get another piece of treacle tart.  
“Fucking Merlin.” Loudly swearing and shrinking under Hermione’s death glare, he pulled out his wand to cast a _Scourgify_ on his sauce dripping hand. When he put it away again and looked up, Draco had finished his cake, and the whole table was laughing at Harry.

It wasn’t much later that they all returned to their common room. The House elves had already sent up their snacks and one of the tables bent from the weight of them. Cauldron Cakes were only a small part of it. Anthony and Neville disappeared for a moment and came back with bottles of Firewhiskey, Mead, Nettle Wine and Butterbeer. Hermione conjured plastic cups. Soon enough, the Eighth Years were spread around their common room, talking and laughing and for the first time in many years truly enjoying themselves without any worries. Someone had charmed a camera to hover and take pictures on its own, and every now and then you could see someone throw an arm around a friend or pressing a kiss to their cheek. Harry and Ron both hugged Hermione at the same time and lifted her off the ground pressing kisses to both her cheeks. Her startled shriek was quickly replaced with her laughter. Dean and Seamus were snogging in one of the armchairs, and Neville, Blaise, Theo and Anthony were engaged in a serious game of beer pong. Twister was set up in one corner, and Harry teamed up with Ginny to try and beat Luna and Padma. They soon had to admit defeat though, and Harry ended up on one of the sofas with his cup of Firewhiskey in one hand and his other arm around Ginny’s shoulder. It still amazed him how they had bounced back from their attempt at a relationship. After the war they had talked about getting back together but had decided that it just didn’t feel right. And here they were, laughing at Theo who was awful at beer pong and being better friends than they ever had been. That was when Hermione climbed onto the table and startled everyone into silence.  
“I think Hermione’s had a bit too much to drink,” whispered Harry, his mouth close to Ginny’s ear.  
“Me too.” Ginny giggled and Hermione clapped to get their attention.  
“Let’s play a game guys.” Blaise interrupted and pointed out that they had been playing games the whole time but she waved her hands impatiently.  
“I meant a game we all play together. Everyone sit in a circle. Move the sofas out of the way. Where did everyone go?” Hannah started ticking them off her fingers.  
“Daphne and Theo are in one of the dorms, no idea which one. Padma and Anthony went outside for a walk, Michael and Justin went to sleep a while ago, and Susan is sleeping over there.”  
“Well, their loss. Hermione stayed on the table, directing them from above like a conductor his orchestra.  
“Ronald, go sit there next to Luna, then Neville, Pansy, Blaise next to Pansy but leave room for me, Parvati next to Blaise, then Seamus, Dean, Hannah, Ginny, Draco, Harry.”  
When she was satisfied, she clapped her hands and jumped off the table, seating herself in between Blaise and Pansy.  
“Alright, the game is called Never Have I Ever.” Pansy squealed in delight, and Harry wondered as to where she knew the muggle game from.  
“Everybody needs to have a cup of some kind of alcohol in front of them. They’re charmed to refill. I’ll start by giving a statement. That statement can either be true or untrue for yourself. If it’s true, you have to take a shot. For example I could say ‘I have never been to the Gryffindor common room.’ Of course I have been there so I have to drink.” Hermione downed her drink to emphasize her point.  
“That’s all? That sounds boring?” Blaise didn’t seem convinced. A sly grin formed on the witch’s face, and she lifted her cup in a cheers motion.  
“You can always spice it up a little. I’ll start. I have never been to the Gryffindor common room naked.” And she drank. Harry tried hard to stifle his laughter but couldn’t when he heard the gasps from his classmates and saw their shocked faces. Blaise lifted his hands in defeat.  
“Wow, Granger. Never would've seen that coming. Anyways, I gotta pass, never been to the Lion’s den, much less naked.”  
“Everything’s allowed.” Parvati chirped in but didn’t drink. Seamus drank and so did Dean, which didn’t really surprise anyone, given their excessive makeout sessions. Hannah, Ginny and Draco all passed. Harry though shocked them by downing his Firewhiskey and shooting Hermione a smirk. Draco caught it.  
“What was that about? Please tell me there was nothing going on between you and Granger?” Ron’s head shot up at that.  
“Bloody hell, you never told me about that!”  
“There never was anything between us.”  
“The twins bet me that I wouldn’t get Hermione to come down to the common room naked which she did just to prove them wrong. She made me come down too though.” Harry pulled a face. “When was that, Mione? Fifth Year?”  
“I think so, right before they left. They were so impressed that they promised to never test any of their products on us ever again.” They all fell silent as they remembered what had happened to Fred before Neville startled them all by drinking. He shrugged.  
“I used to sleep naked, and I used to sleepwalk. Bad combination, I’ll tell you. I started wearing boxers after I wandered out of the portrait hole once.” Everyone laughed at that. Pansy held up her hands when they all looked at her.  
“I’m with Blaise on that one.”  
“Alright, Blaise, you’re up next.”  
“I’ve never kissed a girl.” He downed his drink. Parvati followed suit.  
“Lavender and I kissed in, I think it was Third Year, maybe Fourth.” Before anyone could react in any way to Lavender’s name, Seamus jumped in.  
“My first kiss was a boy, and I’ve pretty much known since then that I was gay.” Dean lifted his cup in cheers towards Ginny and drank. Hannah passed, Ginny drank.  
“Luna when we were 8, one of the Beauxbatons girls, Hermione during the summer before last.” She ticked them off on her fingers. Hermione raised her cup at the incredulous stares and drank.  
“You all need to stop seeing me as a boring know-it-all. I kissed Ginny and Pansy.”  
“But that’s what you’ve always been in class.” Blaise couldn’t believe it. The witch just shrugged. Draco grinned and downed his drink.  
“Pansy and Milli, though I don’t remember when.” Pansy stuck his tongue out at him.  
“Ginny and Cho, but that’s not really a secret.” Harry’s grin was a bit forced. He still couldn’t stand it that everyone seemed to know more about his life than he did. He was glad when Ron drank and stated:  
“Lavender, Hermione and Luna.” Luna smiled and kissed him before drinking too. She didn’t say anything. Neville drank and smiled shyly.  
“Luna and Susan.” Pansy drank too before she added:  
“Milli, Daphne, Tracey and Hermione.”  
“Alright, I’m next. I’ve never kissed a boy.” Parvati drank and explained: “It was a boy from my hometown.” Seamus chugged his drink down.  
“Should I drink one for every guy I kissed?” They erupted in laughter.  
“Better leave it, love, or I’m pretty sure not even Pomfrey could save you. I kissed Seamus.” Dean did just that before downing his own Firewhiskey. Hannah passed. With narrowed eyes, Blaise looked at her.  
“You didn’t drink before either, have you never been kissed?” Hannah shook her head.  
“I haven’t found the right person yet, and I kind of don’t wanna waste my first kiss on just anyone. It’s important I think.” Something in Blaise’s eyes changed at that, and he looked at Hannah like he would maybe look at a little sister, fondly and very protective. Ginny drank and shrugged.  
“A few. Michael, Dean, Harry.” Downing his drink, Draco explained:  
“Blaise and Theo, though him only once when we were both very drunk. Daphne’s still mad at me.” Harry enjoyed the gasps of the others almost as much as the burning sensation of the Firewhiskey in his throat. He met quite a few incredulous stares when he set his cup down. Nobody had known he liked both boys and girls except Hermione, Ron, Ginny and ...  
“Seamus and Charlie.” Ron almost choked.  
“You and Charlie? My Charlie? You kissed my brother?”  
“Yeah, he was my first, I think two summers ago? I don’t really remember.” Draco’s stare was piercing the side of his face like burning needles, but Harry didn’t dare look. If he did he was sure he would blush or do something similarly embarrassing.  
“Well, that certainly was unexpected.” Blaise couldn’t seem to shake his stupor.  
“We really need to choose questions that don’t have all of us drinking. Pansy, Luna.” Lifting her glass at the two girls, Hermione downed her drink together with them. “Please, Seamus, be a little more creative.” The boy scrunched up his face for a moment.  
“Okay, I’ve never been so hungover I stayed in bed all day long.” Grinning, he downed his drink. Dean laughed and passed. So did everyone else until Neville surprised them by drinking.  
“The first time I drank alcohol was at some social function when I was like five. I didn’t know the punch was spiked. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as awful.”  
“My turn.” Dean looked excited. “I have never gone to class high.” He shot his boyfriend a grin who didn’t even wait for his turn. Everyone else passed, though Harry frowned.  
“Do pain meds count?”  
“Nah, that’s not really intentional, ain’t it?”  
“Sure it is, you’re intentionally taking them so you’re not in pain.”  
“Pomfrey made me take them though.”  
“It doesn’t count.” Hannah ended the discussion resolutely. “Now shut up, it’s my turn. I’ve never had a crush on a teacher.” The boys cheered loudly on the girls. Grinning they all downed their drinks.  
“You don’t need to explain, we all know you were crushing hard on Lockhart.” Ron’s grin split his face. Luna pat him on the arm.  
“I wasn’t. Though I had a crush on Snape.” That effectively shut her boyfriend up. Instead he choked.  
“Bloody hell, that awful bat? Who’d have a crush on him.” Slowly, Harry, Draco and Blaise lifted their cups and drank. Pansy raised her hand and said:  
“You know, I’m really glad I wasn’t the only one. You have to admit he was kinda hot with his brooding dark look.”  
“Sure he was hot, but he was a right asshole to us. Because of him I don’t like potions.” The frown on Harry’s face told exactly what he thought of their old professor’s teaching methods.  
“Well yeah, but still. He just hated Gryffindors with a burning passion.” With a smug look on his face, Blaise added: “Everyone does.” Offended cries erupted, and it looked as if Blaise was about to get either murdered or tickled to death. He wouldn’t come out alive either way.  
“Oi, Zabini, the odds are against you here.” Laughing the black boy raised his hands in defeat.  
“Alright, alright, I give up. Get off me.” He shoved Ron amicably. Once everyone had settled back down, Ginny lifted her cup.  
“I’ve never done a striptease.” She downed her drink to the sound of the others cheering. Draco passed, though Harry drank too and another round of cheers ensued.  
“Potter, you keep surprising me tonight. Care to give us a demonstration?”  
“Any hidden crushes there Blaise?” Draco’s grin could only be described as cunning though Harry thought there might be a trace of something else. It spiked an idea in Harry.  
“Sorry, Zabini, I only strip for special people. But I wanna ask my question.”  
“It’s my turn though.” Draco sounded offended.  
“Hush, darling, I wanna hear Potter’s statement. You can go after.” Leaning forward eagerly, Pansy put a hand on Draco’s arm. Harry grinned slyly.  
“I’ve never had a crush on Harry Potter.” Ignoring the groans all around him, he leaned back against the sofa behind him.  
“Cough up, guys. Truth’s about to come out.”  
“You’re enjoying this way too much for my liking. That’s a Slytherin move, just so you know.” Groaning, Ginny downed her drink.  
“Only friendly feelings now, though.” Next to Harry, Ron raised both his hands.  
“He’s my best friend and I’m as straight as can be.” Luna drank.  
“You’re really sexy, Harry, everyone can see that.” Harry blushed at Luna’s honest words. Even after years of friendship, he still wasn’t used to her straightforwardness. Neville passed, though Pansy drank and blushed.  
“I liked how you always stood up to Umbridge. Didn’t take very long to go back to hating you though.” Hermione passed, Blaise drank.  
“We already established that I have a crush on Potter.” He winked at Harry and motioned towards the stairs. Harry laughed as Parvati downed her drink.  
“Lavender and I were both crushing on you at the same time. I think that was the only time we were ever fighting. Must’ve been second year.” Seamus also drank.  
“Who in their right mind wouldn’t crush on him? I mean seriously, I think you’re the hottest man alive.” Everyone laughed except Dean who pouted at his boyfriend.  
“Ooh, I’m sorry, love. You’re much sexier than Harry could ever be.” Seamus kissed him. When Dean’s romper was hanging open around his hips, about to fall off, Hermione shooed them out of the circle vehemently, and thankfully they left for one of the dorm rooms.  
“You’re next, Hannah. Any hidden crushes on Harry?” The girl shook her head.  
“No, actually not. Sure, you’re good-looking, just not my type.” All eyes turned to Draco who blushed a brilliant scarlet and hesitantly drank.  
“As we already established multiple times, you are quite dashing, Potter.”  
“Oooh, every time he’s embarrassed, he starts talking like an arrogant prick.” Pansy grinned widely. When Draco crawled across the circle with a dangerous glint in his eyes that sent shivers down Harry’s spine right into his groin, she scrambled to get out of his reach, though had to submit herself to a tickling attack. Meanwhile, Harry tried to get his act together. It had to be the alcohol that enhanced his reactions to Draco.

Soon enough Draco decided that Pansy had begged for mercy enough and sat back down in the circle. Grinning smugly, he crossed his arms.  
“My turn now …” Before he could add anything else though, Ginny interrupted.  
“We all know what you’re gonna ask, and it’s not gonna happen. You’re boring, Draco, ask something else and don’t copy Harry.” Everyone laughed at that.  
“Well fine.” The blonde pouted. “Never have I ever been skinny dipping.” He drank and grinned at them. Harry stared at him. His mind projected a very annoying picture of a naked Draco standing on the edge of the lake, the moonlight bathing him in soft white light. Harry decided he would very much like to see that in real life.  
“Let’s go now.” He blurted out. Even with everything he’d confessed tonight, he didn’t think he could’ve earned that reaction. Ginny’s mouth hung wide open; Draco had a somewhat glassy look in his eyes; Blaise grinned like the Cheshire Cat; Ron put his hand on Harry’s forehead to check if he maybe had a fever. Harry could feel the blush creeping up into his cheeks.  
“Well, I’ve never been, and it’s something I wanna try now that I can be a somewhat normal teenager, so why not go now?” Pansy broke out in a fit of almost hysterical giggles. She tried to say something, though nobody could understand what it was. Judging by the look she threw Harry, he was glad that was the case.  
“It’s freezing out there, Harry. Also we’re in school and it’s after curfew. What if someone looks out the window.” Harry smiled at Hermione. That was the girl he knew and loved. No amount of alcohol could make her forget her rational side.  
“What can we do magic for? And isn’t that the thrill? That someone could see us?”  
“I’m in,” said Blaise to nobody’s surprise.  
“Me too.” Neville grinned. One after one they agreed until Hermione and Hannah were the only ones hesitating.  
“Oh fine, whatever. I’ll come.” Everyone cheered, and then looked at Hannah expectantly.  
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know. We’re not gonna pressure you.” Blaise smiled at her.  
“But I want to.” Hannah downed her drink. “Wouldn’t be my first time after all.”

Laughing and chattering they got up and gathered around the door that led out of the common room and into the castle. Harry disappeared in his dorm and came back just when Pansy asked:  
“So, how’re we gonna do it?” She was swaying a bit and had her arm locked with Draco’s. Hermione giggled when Harry pushed towards the door.  
“With that,” he said and held up a blank piece of parchment.  
“You’re not making sense, Potter.”  
“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.” The map spread out on the parchment, and ignoring all the _Ahs_ and _Ohs_ Harry scanned it for Filch, Mrs Norris or any prefects and teachers. He led them through the corridors. Hermione tried to have them be quiet but that was an almost impossible task considering they were all drunk and excited because of what they were about to do. Therefore it wasn't surprising that they behaved like little kids.  
“So that’s how you always got away with sneaking out at night. You know that’s not fair, right?” Harry chuckled and looked at Draco who’d come up to his side. The way his blond hair gleamed in the moonlight made his mouth dry, and he had to swallow and wet his lips before he could answer.  
“It was my Dad’s. He and his friends made it when they were at Hogwarts.” Draco smiled at him.  
“It’s nice.” Companionable silence ensued between them, and then Harry pushed open the big double doors that led out onto the grounds. Within seconds the other Eighth Years had passed Draco and Harry and made a run for the lake. The two boys grinned at each other and followed suit.

When Harry and Draco rejoined the others, Hermione was already putting up a _Muffliato_ around them and casting several warming charms. The others were shedding clothes. Grinning, Harry pulled the zipper of his romper and threw it in a pile with the others. He was a little self-conscious about taking off his boxers too, but then he saw Neville and Blaise who were both already in the water, and Hannah who was just on her way in. Ginny came up to him and took his hand, pulling him towards the lake. He almost shrieked when the icy water hit his legs. Soon enough though, his body was too cold to feel anything, and he stopped caring. In any case, he didn’t have time to worry about freezing to death because Draco ... The blond was dipping his toes in the water, and he looked just like the picture in Harry’s mind that had made him propose this madness. Why did he do that again? Right, because Draco was so unbelievably hot. Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away from the other boy. Ginny poked him multiple times and then swam away giggling. Probably to find Pansy and Hermione and gossip to them about his embarrassing crush on the hottest guy this world had to offer. However, Harry couldn’t bring himself to care. Only when Blaise splashed water on him did he wake from his stupor. Quickly he dove under and tried to recompose himself. Right, great, he did have a crush on Draco. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about that though, right? Well, Draco had said, that he’d had a crush on Harry. But surely, that was over by now.  
When he had to come up again to breathe, the others were splashing each other with the freezing water and shrieking whenever they were hit. Everyone was in the water, and when Harry was hit with a second splash, he joined the water fight. He could figure out what to do later.

For all the good Hermione’s warming charms did, they didn’t keep warm forever, and soon enough the girls started shivering. Hermione and Pansy had already gotten out and were hugging each other to keep warm. Parvati joined them, and Harry turned his eyes away. He felt weird watching them naked, even though they were putting their rompers back on and then disappeared in the direction of the castle after checking the map. Neville and Ron were also helping their girlfriends drying off. Luna’s pearly laughter carried all the way towards Harry who was floating on the water closer to the middle of the lake than to the shore. When the voices of the others died down, he lifted his head. He could see people walking up towards the castle, but he wasn’t sure how many. On the other hand, he couldn’t see anyone left at the shore, so he was probably the last one to get out. Slowly, Harry made his way back towards the edge of the lake. He startled and almost choked on a mouthful of water, when a pale blond boy came up right next to his face.  
“Bloody hell, Malfoy. You scared the shit out of me.” Draco grinned.  
“Where is everyone?”  
“They went up to the castle. The girls were cold.” Harry could feel the ground underneath his feet now and stood up. When Draco put his feet down too, he had to look up a bit to meet his eyes.  
“You’re shorter than me.” Draco’s grin was smug.  
“Shut up, Malfoy.”  
“Make me.” Harry stared at Draco incredulously. Within seconds the atmosphere between them had lost its teasing feeling. Instead there was something else. The blond blushed a brilliant scarlet and put his hand over his mouth.  
“I didn’t mean to say that.”  
“You so did.” Harry’s voice was low. He saw the goosebumps on Draco’s arms. When he looked up, he met Draco’s eyes again. The usual light grey was dark and resembled the sky on a stormy day.  
“You so did,” Harry repeated and with a swift move, he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips on Draco’s. His lips were freezing, but soft. They tasted like Firewhiskey and something sweet that he couldn’t quite place. He could hear Draco gasping and feel his heart beating like a gone-wild jackhammer, and he was sure, never once in his life had he been so happy. He hadn't even realized that that was what he'd wanted until it happened. For a moment, neither one of them moved. Then Draco’s hands were on his hips pulling him impossibly closer, and Harry realized he was allowed to touch those amazing blond strands now, and he did. They were even softer than he thought they would be. Draco’s soft gasps made him deepen the kiss. He used the strands as leverage and stood up on his tiptoes. Careful as to not make the other boy pull away, he ran his tongue over those soft lips. They willingly parted. Their tongues met in a fight for dominance, just like it had always been between them. When they broke apart, they were both panting. Harry almost got lost in the grey eyes, that still looked like a storm was brewing there. Draco lifted a hand and softly tugged on Harry’s hair. There was a light blush creeping up his cheeks.  
“Never have I ever kissed a boy I like in the Great Lake while naked.” They both smiled.  
“I’d have to drink to that.”  
“Me too,” admitted Draco quietly. “I’m really fucking cold now, though.”  
“I’ll warm you up.” Smirking, Harry pressed another kiss to Draco’s lips. “But I think that might work better if we’re both back in the castle, because I think my toes might have fallen off.” He laced his fingers with Draco’s and pulled him out of the water. Shivering but with wide smiles on their faces, they put on their clothes. Harry activated the map and hand in hand they made their way back towards the castle.

The common room looked as if some sort of bomb had gone off. Susan was draped over one of the armchairs, still fast asleep. Somebody had put a blanket over her. Padma and Anthony seemed to have come back from their walk and just fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, because they were tangled into each other and breathing steady. Hermione and Pansy were cuddling on one of the sofas. Harry thought they might be sleeping but he wasn’t sure so he motioned towards Draco to be super quiet. Empty cups were strewn all over the floor and Halloween decorations were a bit damaged here and there. Someone had thought to put away the alcohol and it seemed the house elves had come to at least get the leftover food. Harry let himself be pulled upstairs into their dorm. There was a bit of an argument over which bed they would sleep in, but eventually they settled underneath Draco’s covers.  
“We’re sleeping in my bed tomorrow,” mumbled Harry but he didn’t really mean it. He couldn’t care less about which bed they were sleeping in, as long as he could put his head on Draco’s chest and listen to his heartbeat. Draco had put his arms around the black-haired boy and pulled him close. Not long after both boys had fallen into deep slumber. It was the first night in a very long time that didn’t have Harry waking up from a nightmare shaking.


End file.
